The Peasant is Back

I took a little extra time off to be of assistance to a dear friend

who has been having an astonishingly rough time of late.

This friend, who happens to also be a faithful reader of this blog,

has had a handful of catastrophes beset him; he's so overwhelmed

that he even tried several times to end his life! He telephoned me 

and told me of his plight, and asked if he could come over from his 

native state to stay with me for a few weeks. I originally said "Sure!"

but after some further thought I messaged him on FB messenger

and gave him the advice he already got from friends, some mutual

and some not, that he should instead go to a hospital near his home

and seek treatment there. Oh, and the police were after him (he didn't 

tell me that bit, I was informed by one of our friends about that).

And he 's got Stage 4 cancer.

Apparently he did just that, at least that's what I hope and pray he did.

I have recently tried to reach him by phone, messenger, and texting

but received no reply. His and our friends have been keeping a close

watch (at least as much as a distance of several hundred miles will

allow) on him. He has, however, been in touch with his mother and 

sister; what they are doing to help him I don't know. I pray that he

is indeed in a hospital getting the care he so desperately needs, 

and that we all will hear from him in due course. A dear friend, a 

fan and avid reader of the Peasant, a fellow Irish-American and 

fellow conservative, a fine musician and singer, as well as a 

rollicking good pal, I am keeping him in my prayers and have told 

him on messenger that when he's all better and has put his troubles 

with the law behind him that he then will be welcome to come visit

me and we'll hang out, go to old haunts, I'll make some home-cooked 

meals for him, and we'll just shoot the breeze. I just wish I was able to

do more for my chum at this critical time.

I have since found contact information for a suicide prevention hotline.

Suicide Prevention Services of America can help you or a relative 

or a friend in a similar situation as my friend. Call or text 988 to talk to 

someone who can help; it's free, it's confidential and available 24/7.

Every life matters, every story matters, and reaching out for help is not

a sign of weakness but a sign of strength.

MEM 

Break Time For The Peasant

Gee Whiz, The Peasant needs a break! Stuff has been stacking up

and I have to tend to it all. But no worries, The Peasant shall return!

We will take care of business in the political arena with our spotlight

on both the good and the bad, the honorable and the dishonorable, 

the righteous and the wrong-headed, the courageous and the cowardly, 

and comment on them, their actions, and the effects that they all have

on our economy, our society, and our daily lives --- just as always.

Thank you, my wonderful readers, for your indulgence and support!

MEM

California Fleein'

The only Republicans winning in California 

are those stuffing U-Hauls.

The Week, National Review August 2026

Ah, but this scenario could well change provided that

Steve Hilton, California GOP candidate could score

a historic win for that state's governor's office! 

Let's hope that there are still enough Republican and 

Republican-leaning voters left in that woe-ridden 

state to go to the polls and vote for Hilton and break 

the lock-grip of California's Democrats on the 

gubernatorial office in November. It could happen!

Keep the faith!

MEM

Belated Thoughts on Constitution Day

September 17 is Constitution Day in our country. Your apologetic 

Peasant wants to make amends for not finding out the exact date 

of this important day before now, and I thank you, my wonderful

readers for your forgiveness and understanding.

This day for honoring our foundation of our nation's law marks 

the day in 1787 when the delegates signed this historic document

in Philadelphia. It is the starting point for Constitution Week, 

a week dedicated to educating all Americans on civic responsibilities.

It commemorates the creation of the federal government's framework

and recognizes individuals who have become U.S. citizens via birth

or naturalization. 

Schools and other educational institutions which receive federal funds 

are required by law to hold educational programs regarding the 

U.S. Constitution on this day.

This great document is unique, especially for its time, in that instead of

spelling out the power and reaches of the law it curbs the power and 

reach of the law in our society. This makes our country a constitutional

republic; as Benjamin Franklin told someone on the street outside of

the place where the meeting to decide on the writing of our 

Constitution was held, that we had "a republic, if we could keep it." 

And today we are facing forces hostile to the Constitution and to our

republic. Let us make ourselves strongly cognizant of this document 

and its contents, so we may defend it vociferously.

MEM

 

Another Anniversary for Us!

Today is the seventeenth anniversary of PWAP and you,

my fantastic readers getting together with me, your 

humble and most grateful Peasant each week to pore 

over the political and economic news. This is one of the

highlights of my life! God bless you all!

I do apologize for failing to mention some of the past

anniversaries, but we are still marching on together and 

I thought, "Well, why don't we observe all of our 

anniversaries together and not just the bigger-milestone

ones?" Why not, indeed. 

So from now on that's what we shall do!

MEM

Robert Woodson, R.I.P.

As a young man, Robert Woodson had experiences with 

segregation which drew him to the University of Pennsylvania

where he earned a master's degree in social work.

He got involved in the civil rights movement where he led

protests and organized community development programs.

Woodson dedicated his life to uplifting people and their 

communities to ease their struggles.

However, over the years he became increasingly skeptical 

of liberal politics and found its prescriptions for helping

the disadvantaged wanting. This resulted in Woodson 

becoming a conservative, and he advocated for self-reliance

over government dependence a' la the Welfare State, and 

local solutions over central planning. Woodson would go on

to mold President Reagan's social policy during the 1980s.

In 2020, Woodson founded 1776 Unites, a non-profit that 

was created to combat the historical falsehoods of the 

controversial 1619 Project. He became a staunch, reliable,

indefatigable conservative activist.

At 89, Robert Woodson's work has concluded. May many 

others take up his task, and may Woodson rest in peace.

MEM 

Colorado Makes Its Tax Slope Steeper

The far-lefties who give themselves the name 

"progressives" want to stick it to the wealthy

in any way they can, in large part to fund their

dream programs and to expand existing ones.

Their battle cry is "Tax the Rich!" and they have

taken their campaign from state to state, recruiting

and running like-minded candidates for public 

office on that very theme.  

Colorado has a pretty low 4.4% flat income tax

which has been a great attraction for businesses 

and up-and-coming professionals, helping to 

grow the state's population over the past 20 years.

But now the progs want to replace Colorado's 

flat tax with one that has high graduated rates.

Why?

Such a move would make Colorado more like 

California, New York, Illinois, and other high-tax

states which many of its residents have fled.

The proposed ballot Initiative 195 would replace

the flat rate with six income brackets ranging from 

3.7% for individuals earning up to $25,000 to 

8.4% for those earning above $1 million. 

Furthermore, the brackets would not be adjusted  

annually for inflation. More people would rise 

into higher income tax brackets, resulting in paying

more in tax as they proceed. As many small businesses

typically pay at individual rates on pass-through income,

many would get clobbered with large increases.

A family farm that has a good year would be punished 

for their successful year with a higher tax tab. 

Such would be travel along route I-195. 

Under I-195, Colorado would have the highest top tax 

rate in their region of the country; Wyoming has no 

income tax, Arizona's top rate is 2.5%, Utah weighs in 

at 4.45%, and New Mexico at 5.9% 

Colorado has, like most states, been seeing healthy 

revenue growth because of strong capital gains.

Progressives, however, are trying their damnedest to

soak the rich via millionaire taxes such as in Washington

state (9.9%), Rhode Island (8.99%) and Maine (9.15%).

If a recession occurs, these voracious left-wingers will

simply raise taxes even higher. Theirs and government's 

needs above those of the people at all times, don't you know.

In summation, the progs want more money to hand out via

expanding entitlement programs and to reward their union

allies for their electoral support. History tells us that once

that kind of tax system is installed, spending continues to

rise as revenue rises and the rates predictably come along 

for the ride. And in case you thought, my sharp readers, 

that all Democrats favor this robbery, Colorado's 

term-limited governor Jared Polis (D) has declared that a 

progressive income tax would be "absolutely devastating"

to the state's economy. Gov. Polis is, no pun intended,

on the money.

MEM